


Hot and Cold

by breadrobin



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, I wrote this in class instead of paying attention, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-31 01:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21034247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadrobin/pseuds/breadrobin
Summary: Tim's anger used to run hot.





	Hot and Cold

**Author's Note:**

> heyo, i finally emerge with another fic and its this weird thing i wrote in critical reasoning class. i wanted to explore tim's angry side because I feel like hes always depicted as the sad one, but hes kinda got a lot to be angry about. hope you like it!

Tim's anger used to run hot.  
Something would spark it under his skin, a word, a look, a comment. Sometimes even his own thoughts would be enough. It would quickly spread like a wildfire throughout his body, searing, burning, alive. It would burn inside his him, and it would eventually explode out of him in a fireball. Heated arguments and fiery words were always thrown around, accompanied by white-knuckled fists. His eyes burned with blue flames. This was his early anger, quick to start and even quicker to peter out. He had enough of a temper, but he wasn't an angry person.  
Then his mom died. His dad was crippled. Jason was back. Steph was dead.  
During those days, his anger was always simmering under the surface, just waiting to be set alight. He was always on fire, always burning. Sometimes it seemed as there was smoke in his lungs, and he was so angry he started to choke. He wanted to scream sometimes just to clear the burning that was constantly in his throat.  
Then it got worse.  
Kon died and so did a part of Tim. Steph wasn't dead, but he still always saw her in his dreams, broken and bloody. Dick ripped away his Robin mantle, the only thing that seemed to smother his flames.  
Bruce was gone.  
Everything burned.  
Tim almost lost it then, almost let his fire consume him. But he refused. Instead, he let his fire fuel him, burning white-hot inside, always motivating him to find Bruce. Because Bruce wasn't dead. Tim wouldn't allow him to be dead. He would set the world, the universe on fire to get him back. And then, he was returned. Kon was back too, and for a moment, it was good. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like he was scorched.  
But life isn't better now and his anger didn't go away. His mind is littered with scars, deaths, betrayals. Nowadays, Tim's anger is different.  
A fire can only burn for so long.  
But if it gets cold enough, it will still feel like burning.  
Now, his face is always frozen, untouchable. His eyes look like the winter sky; beautiful, clear, and blue, but so painfully, painfully cold. Cold enough to repel anyone and everyone. Whether this is by accident or by choice, he doesn't know at this point. He holds ice-laden words inside his mouth. They are sharp enough to cut his tongue, but he can't let them out lest someone else gets hurt. Sometimes he feels as though he can't hold back and he shivers; it feels as though his very heart is filled with cracks. He shivers with the rage that is just underneath his snowy skin.  
Tim used to run hot, but now he is always cold.


End file.
